Parafoil electronic control unit having wireless connectivity

ABSTRACT

A method is described that includes performing a), b) and c) below with an electronic control unit of a parafoil: a) after being dropped from an airborne vehicle, wirelessly receiving the parafoil&#39;s desired landing location; b) determining a flight path for the parafoil that lands at the desired landing location; and, c) controlling the parafoil&#39;s flight path consistently with the determined flight path.

CLAIM TO PRIORITY

The application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/324,222 entitled, “Method and System For Optimized Terminal GuidanceOf Autonomous Aerial Delivery Systems”, filed on Apr. 14, 2010 and U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/324,551 entitled, “Method and System forImproving Touchdown Accuracy Of Aerial Payload Delivery Using GroundWeather Station Uplink”, filed on Apr. 15, 2010, and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/323,792 entitled, “Method and System For Control OfAutonomous Aerial System via GSM Cellular Network”, filed on Apr. 13,2010 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/323,750 entitled, “Methodand System For Establishing A Short-term Network Mesh Using MiniatureAutonomously Guided Parafoils”, filed on Apr. 13, 2010 and U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/323,675 entitled, “Method and System ForVertical Replenishment Of Naval Vessels Via Precision Guided Airdrop”,filed on Apr. 13, 2010 all of which are also hereby incorporated byreference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The field of invention pertains to guided aerial vehicles and morespecifically to parafoil electronic control unit having wirelessconnectivity.

BACKGROUND

FIG. 1 a shows a parafoil 101. A parafoil is a wing shaped parachutecapable of steerable, controlled descent. Essentially, the parachuteaspect of the parafoil causes the parafoil to exhibit a gradual descent,while, the wing aspect of the parafoil permits the parafoil to have aguided flight path. The flight path of a parafoil can be controlled bytugging/releasing lines coupled to the left and right trailing edges ofthe parafoil. Specifically, as observed in FIG. 1 b, a parafoil can bemade to turn to the left if the left trailing edge line 102 istugged/pulled. Likewise, referring to FIG. 1 c, a parafoil can be madeto turn to the right if the right trailing edge line 103 istugged/pulled. A parafoil can even be made to momentarily rise, or atleast change its pitch upward if both the left and right trailing edgelines 102, 103 are tugged/pulled.

Parafoils have been used for guided drops as a consequence of theability to control their flight path. In order to successfully land aparafoil at or near some target, however, an individual or person isneeded to control the trailing edge lines 102, 103 so as to guide theparafoil with the requisite accuracy. Said another way, the intelligenceand sensory abilities of the human brain are needed to manipulate thetrailing edge lines 102, 103 of the parafoil in view of the location ofthe target, the height of the parafoil, the forward and transversespeeds of the parafoil, the roll, yaw and pitch of the parafoil and thepresence of winds.

Various applications can be envisioned, however, for automaticallyguided parafoil drops. For instance, consider a situation where a teamof catastrophe surveyors/workers/soldiers are in a remote area and inneed of certain supplies. Having the ability to simply attach the neededsupplies to the parafoil with some computerized intelligence to controlthe parafoil's trailing edge lines so as to automatically guide theparafoil and its payload in the vicinity of thesurveyors/worker/soldiers would obviate the need for keeping skilledparachutists at the ready in case such a need for supplies arises.Moreover, even if skilled parachutists are available and at the ready, aparachutist would be delivered along with the payload. Without the sameskills as the surveyors/workers/soldiers, the parachutist is apt tobecome a burden for the surveyors/workers/soldiers after the payload hasbeen successfully delivered.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained from thefollowing detailed description in conjunction with the followingdrawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 a,b,c depict a parafoil;

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a parafoil 201 and payload assembly 204;

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the sensors, motors and control unitwithin a payload assembly;

FIG. 4 shows a control system 400 implemented by the control unit'scomputer system;

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a trajectory plan;

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a methodology executed by a trajectoryplanning unit during a loitering phase;

FIG. 7 diagrams an approach for measuring forward speed and windmagnitude;

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a methodology executed by a trajectoryplanning unit during a downwind phase;

FIGS. 9 a,9 b, 9 c pertain to an embodiment of a methodology executed bya trajectory planning unit during a turn phase;

FIG. 10 pertains to a second embodiment of a methodology executed by atrajectory planning unit during a turn phase;

FIG. 11 shows a linear wind model and a logarithmic and linear windmodel;

FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of a methodology executed by a trajectoryplanning unit to calculated a wind model;

FIGS. 13 a and 13 b pertain to an attempt to land a parafoil on a movingtarget;

FIGS. 14 a and 14 b pertain to a trajectory planning unit that utilizesthe model of a vehicle;

FIG. 15 shows an embodiment of a networked IS that involves a descendingparafoil;

FIG. 16 shows a wireless network established by parafoils;

FIG. 17 shows a computing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 1.0 Parafoil, Payload Assembly and Control Unit

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a parafoil 201 and payload assembly 204sufficiently capable of self guidance in a number of situations. Thepayload assembly 204 includes: i) the payload to be delivered 205 (e.g.,supplies to be delivered to workers/soldiers on the ground); ii) sensors206 to detect, for example, the parafoil's speed and orientation,; iii)motors (e.g., actuators) 207 a,b to “rein in” and “rein out” the leftand right trailing lines 202, 203 in accordance with the parafoil'scurrently desired direction and orientation; and, iv) a control unit 208having electronic circuitry to apply the appropriate control signals tothe electronic motors 207 a,b in response to signals received by thecontrol unit 208 from the sensors 206. Here, payload assembly 204 may beany mechanical package that physically integrates the payload 205,sensors 206, motors 207 a,b and control unit 208 as a cohesive whole.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the sensors 306, motors 307 and controlunit 308. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 a, the sensors 306 include aninternal navigation system (INS) sensor set 312 including: i) threeaccelerometers 309 a,b,c to measure linear acceleration in threedifferent, respective directions (x, y, z); ii) three rate gyroscopes310 a,b,c to measure angular velocity (dθ/dt, dφ/dt, dψ/dt) along threedifferent axis; and, iii) three magnetometers 311 a,b,c to sense a threedimensional vector v that defines the parafoil ‘s present pointing. Thesensors 306 also include the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver312 (to measure the parafoil's location) and barometric altimeter 313 tomeasure the parafoil's altitude. As is known in the art, anaccelerometer output can be integrated once over time to produce ameasurement of velocity traveled in the same direction that theacceleration was measured. Likewise, the velocity can be integrated overthe same time to determine the distance traveled in the same direction.Similarly, angular velocity as provided by the rate gyroscopes can beintegrated over time to determine the number of degrees that have beenrotated about the respective axis over the same time period.

The motors 307, in an embodiment, include a set of actuators 314 a,b forthe left and right trailing edge lines 302, 303. A third actuator 315 isused to release a canopy of the payload assembly after it is droppedfrom an aircraft so that the parafoil can deploy. The embodiment of FIG.3 also depicts the control unit 308 as including wireless communicationcircuitry 316. Specifically, the control unit 308 includes circuitry 317to communicate with a local carrier's network (such as GSM circuitry 317to communicate with a local carrier's GSM network). The wirelesscommunication circuitry 316 may also include wireless circuitry 320 tocommunicate with a proprietary wireless network or link (e.g.,established by the operators of the parafoil).

As observed, the control unit 306 represents a computer system having aprocessing core 318 (e.g., microprocessor) and with the sensors 306,motors 307 and wireless communication circuitry 316 acting as some formof the computing system's I/O. As shown, the sensors 306, motors 307 andwireless communication circuitry 316 have their own dedicated interfaces(e.g., busses) to the processing core 318 but conceivably communicationsbetween the processing core 318 and the different units 306, 307, 316may be shared over a same interface in various combinations. Theprocessing core 318 is coupled to a volatile memory 319 (e.g., DRAM orSRAM) and flash memory 321. The software executed by the processing core318 is stored in flash memory 321 and loaded into volatile memory 319when the control unit is first powered on (in an embodiment, well beforethe unit is dropped from an airplane). Thereafter the processing core318 executes the software from volatile memory 319.

2.0 Control System

FIG. 4 shows a control system 400 implemented by the control unit'scomputer system to automatically guide the parafoil's flight. Thecontrol system of FIG. 4 includes a trajectory planning unit 401, adifference unit 402, a path following unit 404, the sensors 406 and themotors 407. The trajectory planning unit 401 is responsible fordetermining the overall flight path of the parafoil. The flight pathessentially defines the parafoil's desired location and orientation at amoment of time. The sensors 406 measure the parafoil's actual locationand orientation at the moment of time. The difference unit 402determines an error signal 403 defined as the difference between thedesired and actual location/orientation of the parafoil.

When there is no difference between the desired and actual location ofthe parafoil, the parafoil is “on track” and therefore no error signalexists. In this case, the parafoil's traling edge lines do not need tobe adjusted. By contrast, when a difference exists between the desiredand actual location/orientation of the parafoil, the difference unit 402produces a substantive error signal 403 that the path following unit 404reproduces into one or more control signals 405 that are presented toeither or both of the motors 407 to adjust the trailing edge lines in amanner that brings the parafoil closer to the desiredlocation/orientation. In various embodiments the trajectory planningunit 401, difference unit 402 and path following unit 404 areimplemented with software program code that is executed by theparafoil's processing core. Other implementations may impose variousfunctions performed by these units in hardware either entirely orpartially.

In an embodiment a model predictive control (MPC) approach is utilizedbased on a Single-Input Single Output (SISO) discrete system of theform:

s _(k+1) =As _(k) +Bu _(k)   Eqn. 1a

p_(k)=Cs_(k)   Eqn. 1b

where: 1) k is the present state of the parafoil and payload assembly(hereinafter, “parafoil”); 2) k+1 is the next state of the parafoil; 3)A, B and C are matrices that describe the parafoil dynamics; 4) s_(k) isa vector that describes the present state of the parafoil mechanicalsystem in terms of its roll, change in roll with respect to time, yawand change in yaw with respect to time; 5) u_(k) describes the controlsignals being applied to the parafoil's motors in the present state;and, 6) y_(k) is the parafoil's trajectory in the present state (thatis, the path along which the parafoil is currently headed).

As provided in Appendix A of the instant application, the above systemcan be solved for u_(k) as a function of the parafoil's currentlydesired trajectory w_(k). Thus, for a present parafoil state k,appropriate control u_(k) to be applied to the parafoil's trailing linemotors can be determined to keep the parafoil's path along its desiredpath w_(k).

Generally, the ability to calculate proper control signals for a desiredtrajectory is well known in the art. That is, given a desired flightpath and an actual deviation from the desired flight path, it is wellknown (or can be readily determined) how to adjust a parafoil's trailingedge lines to bring the parafoil closer to the flight path. What hasheretofore not been known is a generic algorithm or set of algorithms,executable by the parafoil as it is descending, for determining theparafoil's desired flight path to a specific target area where thealgorithm takes into account various factors such as the preciselocation of the target relative to the parafoil when the parafoil isdropped, the altitude at which the parafoil is dropped and theapplicable winds. In this respect, the ensuing discussion will focusprimarily on algorithms executed by the trajectory planning unit 401.

As described in more detail further below, various embodiments exist asto the manner in which the algorithms executed by the trajectoryplanning unit account for the presence of winds. According to oneperspective, the parafoil is purposely landed into the wind (for thesake of a “soft” landing). As a consequence, the strategy of theparafoil's flight plan is based on establishing a reference inertialtrajectory with the major axis being aligned with the direction ofprevailing/anticipated/known ground winds. The aloft winds component inthis direction dictates the flight plan's logistics, while the crosswindcomponent (measured or unmeasured) is considered as a disturbance.According to one embodiment, the prevailing wind component, estimated atcurrent altitude is assumed to have constant magnitude through theentirety of the parafoil's descent. According to another embodiment thewind is assumed to linearly weaken in terms of magnitude over the courseof the parafoil's descent. According to a third embodiment, the wind isassumed to weaken logarithmically over the course of the parafoil'sdescent. For simplicity, the first embodiment (in which the wind isassumed to have constant magnitude over the course of the parafoil'sdescent) will be described to provide an overall view of the flight pathdetermination strategy. Subsequently, modifications will be introducedto this basic approach to account for more sophisticated wind modeling.

As observed in FIG. 4, the trajectory planning unit 401 receives inputinformation in the form of the target's position 408 (e.g., x, y, zcoordinates of the target's position or just x, y if the z position ofthe target is assumed to be zero) and information concerning theapplicable winds 409 and the amount of time (T_(app)) the parafoil is tospend on its “final approach” 410. As will be discussed further below,the parafoil's flight path as determined by the trajectory planning unit401 has a plurality of different legs, where, the final approach is thelast leg. Here, the final approach time input 410 corresponds to a userinput that is set before the parafoil is dropped. In an embodiment wherethe target is fixed (i.e., is not moving), the target position 408 isalso a static input that can be entered before the parafoil is dropped.

The set of inputs received by the trajectory planning unit 401 alsoinclude a dynamic component in the form of a feedback path 411 thatexists from the sensors 406 to the trajectory planning unit 401. In anembodiment, the sensor information that is fed back to the trajectoryplanning unit 401 at least includes the x, y, z spatial position of theparafoil and its horizontal pointing direction or “yaw” (ψ) (althoughnot all of these parameters are necessarily used at all times during allflight path phases). Here, the flight path determined by the trajectoryplanning unit 401 need not be static. That is, once a first flight pathis determined, the trajectory planning unit 401 is free to change oradjust the flight path as circumstances warrant.

Referring to FIG. 5, in an embodiment, the control unit is turned on andoperational before the payload assembly with packed parafoil is droppedfrom an airplane, helicopter or other airborne vehicle at drop point DP.The parafoil is purposely dropped upwind from the target (i.e., so thatthe wind will initially move the parafoil closer to the target). Fromthe drop point DP, the payload assembly freefalls 500 for a set periodof time. During the freefall 500 phase, the flight path control systemof FIG. 4 is essentially not activated. Rather, after a first presettime (e.g., 3 seconds) to allow the falling payload assembly to gainsome distance from the airborne vehicle it was dropped from, the payloadassembly's canopy is opened 501 to release the parafoil. After anotherpreset time period (e.g., 4 seconds) of additional free fall theparafoil is presumed to be fully deployed and its trailing linesuntangled 502.

At this point, the flight path control system of FIG. 4 becomesoperational and in control of the parafoil's flight path for theremainder of the parafoil's descent. As observed in FIG. 5, the flightpath as determined by the trajectory unit 401 includes four major phases503_1 (“loiter”), 503_2 (“downwind leg”), 503_3 (“turn”), and 503_4(“final approach”). The flight path is essentially a high level strategythat is believed to be workable across a range of situations andenvironments. According to one perspective of the strategy, the parafoilis deliberately landed into the wind on the final approach leg 503_4.That is, when the parafoil is on the final approach 503_4 part of itsflight path, the parafoil's flight path direction is opposite that ofthe wind's direction 520.

A rationale for this approach is that when heading into the wind, theresponsiveness of the parafoil to control input on its trailing edgelines is enhanced (as compared when the parafoil is heading with thewind) and it provides for a slower landing of the parafoil on the groundso as to protect the payload from the shock of landing. After exitingthe initial loitering phase 503_1 b, the parafoil sails with the windalong the downwind leg 503_2 to a point “D_switch” 506 along the x axis,at which point, the parafoil enters the turn phase 503_3 to turn theparafoil onto its final approach path 503_4.

2.1 Loitering Phase

Upon entering the loitering phase 503_1, the trajectory planning unitmaps out a helical descent pattern 504. In an embodiment the helicaldescent pattern 504 is defined by points A, B, C and D in x,y space inthe proximity of the location where the parafoil is dropped. Each timethe parafoil reaches a point sufficiently proximate to one of points A,B, C and D in xy space, the parafoil turns to effect the helicaldescent. In a further embodiment, points ABCD define a rectangle orsquare in xy space where two of the rectangle's/square's sides arearranged to be parallel with the wind direction 520. In variousembodiments. The wind direction 520 is entered into the flight controlsystem either before the payload assembly is dropped from the airbornevehicle, or, communicated to the flight control system (e.g., via thecontrol unit's wireless network interface(s)) during its free fall orearly loitering state). Points A, B, C, D may also be similarly enteredinto the flight control system (based on anticipated parafoil dynamicsand/or tactical conditions).

During the helical descent 504 the parafoil accomplishes a number oftasks including: 1) gaining an initial understanding of the parafoil'spositioning relative to the target; 2) estimating its correct(weight-specific) performance of the payload system, specifically itsforward speed V_(h); 3) measuring the wind at its altitude; and, 4)calculating the altitude A_switch 503_1 b at which the loitering phase503_1 ends and the downwind leg phase 503_2 begins.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the algorithm executed by the trajectoryplanning unit 401 while in the loitering phase in more detail. Asobserved in FIG. 6, based on the estimate of V_(h) the trajectoryplanning unit calculates the time T_(turn) spent in the turn phase 503_3and A_switch 507. Specifically, in an embodiment, first a value ofT_(turn) is calculated 601, then, a value for A_switch is calculated602. While these calculations are ensuing, the actual output of thetrajectory planning unit 401 corresponds to the ABCD helical descentpattern 504, so that the trailing edge lines of the parafoil areadjusted as appropriate to keep the parafoil on the ABCD helical descenttrack.

As the parafoil descends in the ABCD helical pattern the control unitmeasures the parafoil's ground speed 603 and, based on these groundspeed measurements, estimates the parafoil's air or forward speed(V_(h)) 604 and the magnitude of the wind (W) at its present altitude605. The descent rate (V_(v)) is also calculated 606. As observed inFIG. 6, each of these determinations 604, 605, 606 as well as the targetlocation, the preconfigured time of the parafoil's final approach(T_(app)) and the radius (R) of the turn in the turn phase 503_3 can beused to calculate T_(turn) and A_switch 507. Before discussing thesecalculations, however, embodiments for making each of the forward speed604, wind 605 and descent rate 606 calculations will be discussed first.

FIG. 7 pertains to the trajectory planning unit's ground speed 603 andwind 604 measurements. In various embodiments, the direction of theprevailing/expected ground wind is entered into or communicated to theparafoil's control unit (e.g., prior to the payload assembly beingdropped from the airborne vehicle or through one of the control unit'swireless interfaces after it is dropped). While loitering, theparafoil's control unit determines the prevailing winds along thedownwind direction and can also determine the crosswind (much smaller)wind component, which maybe useful during the final turn.

With the direction of the ground wind (desired landing direction) 520being known, the trajectory planning unit is able to establish: 1) thedirection of the final approach 503_4; 2) the direction of the downwindleg 503_2 and turn 503_3; and, 3) the orientation of the “legs” of theloitering phase's ABCD helical descent. As such, when the loiteringphase 503_1 first begins, the trajectory planning unit 401 defines theABCD helical pattern with straight “out” and “back” legs 701, 702 thatrun parallel to the direction 720 of the wind.

During its descent in the loitering phase, the parafoil will run throughone or more straight “out” and “back” legs 701, 702 of the helicaldescent. During the run of the parafoil along one of these legs, overtime, the trajectory planning unit presents values that correspond to x,y positions along the leg so the parafoil follows the planned leg path.When the parafoil reaches the end of a leg, the trajectory planning unitpresents an output that corresponds to a turn so the parafoil can beginto approach its next leg in the pattern. During each pass through adownwind or upwind leg 701, 702, the trajectory planning unit measuresits ground speed 603 in the direction of the leg. Here, the ground speedof the parafoil in the downwind legs 702 should be faster than theground speed of the parafoil along the upwind legs 701.

The parafoil's air speed (V_(h)) and the magnitude of the wind (W) canbe determined from the opposing measured ground speeds. Specifically,

(W+V _(h))=V1=ground speed measured in the downwind (+x) direction  Eqn. 2a

(V _(h) −W)=V2=ground speed measured in the upwind (−x) direction   Eqn.2b

such that

V _(h)=(V1+V2)/2   Eqn. 3

W=V1/2−V2/2   Eqn. 4.

Multiple wind measurements can be taken through multiple loops of thehelical descent (e.g., and averaging them) or only a single windmeasurement can be taken through a single loop. Similarly, the crosswindcomponent of the current winds can be estimated while the parafoiltravels along two other legs (leg CD and led AB in FIG. 7). This may beimportant if the landing is scheduled differently than into the wind.This latter case may be applicable to landing onto a moving target(platform) or delivering payload from a specified direction, notnecessarily aligned with a ground wind.

Referring back to FIG. 6, the descent rate 606 (V_(v)) can also becalculated by measuring the parafoil's change in altitude over a periodof time. Here, the barometric altimeter readings of INS and/or GPSreadings can be used to determine altitude.

With the estimate provided by Eqn.3, the time T_(turn) expected to bespent in the turn phase 503_3 can be estimated 601 as

T _(turn) =πR/V _(h)   Eqn. 5

where R is an estimated radius of the turn which, in an embodiment, is aparameter that is entered by a user into the control unit. In anotherembodiment, the control unit sets an initial value of R=ΔY/2 where ΔY isthe lateral distance along the y axis 511 between the target and theapproximate position of the parafoil while loitering. Here, Eqn. 5essentially corresponds to the time spent in a 180 degree turn withradius R and air speed V_(h) with a constant turn rate.

With numerical values being assigned to each of T_(turn), V_(h), V_(v)and T_(app), the parafoil can determine 602 the altitude A_switch atwhich it exits the loitering phase 503_1 and enters the downwind phase503_2 as:

$\begin{matrix}{A_{switch} = {V_{v}^{*}\frac{L + {V_{h}^{*}\left( {T_{turn} + {2T_{app}^{des}}} \right)}}{W - V_{h}^{*}}}} & {{Eqn}.\mspace{14mu} 6}\end{matrix}$

where, in Eqn. 6, L is the distance separating the parafoil and thetarget along the x axis. Said another way, L is the x axis intercept ofthe parafoil'current position. As drawn in FIG. 5, L is shownapproximately as of the moment the parafoil exits the loitering phase.The distance of L “shortens” however as the parafoil draws nearer thetarget along the x axis in the downwind phase 503_2. A theoreticaldiscussion and derivation of Eqn. 6 above is provided in Appendix B.

2.2 Downwind Leg Phase

In an embodiment, once the trajectory planning unit recognizes that theparafoil has descended to an altitude of z=A_switch, the trajectoryplanning unit switches phases from the loitering phase 503_1 to thedownwind leg phase 503_2. In so doing, the trajectory planning unitchanges the desired path of the parafoil from the helical ABCD descentwith a line that runs along the x axis positioned at the y axis locationof +2R (notably, in situations where the parafoil is to make a rightturn in the turn phase 503_3 rather than a left turn, the line ispositioned at the y axis location of −2R). As such, while in thedownwind leg phase 503_2, the parafoil simply tracks to the correct yaxis location and then, keeping the y axis location fixed as best aspracticable, follows the +x axis while descending.

During its descent along the x axis (during the downwind leg phase503_2), the trajectory planning unit continually updates the currentwinds calculates the position D_switch at which the parafoil should exitthe downwind phase 503_2 and enter the turn phase 503_3. Here, D_switchis the distance along the x axis between the parafoil and the target atwhich the parafoil should begin the turn phase. D_switch can beexpressed as

$\begin{matrix}{D_{switch} = {- \frac{{\hat{z}\left( {{\hat{V}}_{h}^{*2} - {\hat{W}}^{2}} \right)} + {{\hat{V}}_{h}^{*}{\hat{V}}_{v}^{*}{T_{turn}\left( {{\hat{V}}_{h}^{*} - \hat{W}} \right)}} + {\hat{x}{{\hat{V}}_{v}^{*}\left( {{\hat{V}}_{h}^{*} + \hat{W}} \right)}}}{2{\hat{V}}_{h}^{*}{\hat{V}}_{v}^{*}}}} & {{Eqn}.\mspace{14mu} 7}\end{matrix}$

Notably, the above expression for D_switch is a function of: 1) z, theparafoil's “current” altitude; and 2) x, the parafoil's “current”position along the x axis.

Recalling the above definitions of D_switch and L, note that theparafoil should begin the turn phase when, substitution of the x and zparameters describing its current position into Eqn. 7 yieldsD_switch=L=parafoil's current x axis position. As such, as observed inFIG. 8, during the parafoil's descent along the downwind leg 503_2, thetrajectory planning unit repeatedly calculates 801, 802 a value forD_switch as a function of its current position. The trajectory planningunit continues to estimate wind W (assuming constant V_(h) determinedvia Eqn.3) during the downwind phase and continuously substitutesupdated values for them into Eqn. 7 along with the parafoil's positionalinformation. Based on the known V_(h) (Eqn.3) and measured ground speedV, the current wind is determined as

W=V−V _(h)   Eqn. 8

When the latest calculated value for D_switch is recognized as beingsufficiently the same as its present distance (L) along the x axis fromthe target, the trajectory planning unit exits the downwind leg phase503_2 and enters the turn phase 503_3. Notably, the calculated value ofD_switch can be negative indicating that the parafoil is to begin itsturn before reaching the target's x axis location on the downwind leg.Appendix B also provides a derivation of Eqn. 7.

2.3 Turn Phase

As discussed above, the decisions made by the trajectory planning unitare based on various measurements (such as forward speed V_(h) and windmagnitude W) and assumptions (such as a small magnitude for thecrosswind component of the wind). Ideally there is no error in suchmeasurements/assumptions, and, when the parafoil reaches the D_switchposition and begins its turning phase, not only is the parafoilprecisely where the trajectory planning algorithm “hoped” it would be,but also, the winds do not drastically change thereafter. Realistically,however, either or both of these conditions may not materialize. Thatis, for instance, when the trajectory planning unit decides to enter theturning phase, the parafoil may be “somewhere” in the xy plane otherthan its targeted location for the specific turn radius R and turn rateover time T_(turn) that the parafoil's trajectory was planned around.Moreover, the winds are constantly changing, which cannot possibly beaccounted for during the turn itself. Finally, sudden updrafts anddowndrafts may change the descent rate (relative to the ground) andtherefore ruin a major estimate of how long the system has to stay inthe air.

FIG. 9 a shows an example of the former problem (entering turn phase inother than ideal x,y position). Here, representative actual paths901-905 of the parafoil in the xy plane are different than the idealplanned path 900. These deviations from the ideal path 900 can result inunwanted error between the target location 910 and the correspondingactual landings 911-915. FIG. 9 b shows an example of the later problem(sudden change in wind magnitude W). In this case, the wind has suddenlyincreased which effectively blows the parafoil short of its target inrepresentative actual paths 921-925. In each of the representativeactual paths 901-905 and 921-925 of FIGS. 9 a and 9 b, the trajectoryplanning unit maps out a simplistic a 180 degree turn over radius R withconstant angular rate over T_(turn).

FIG. 9 c shows an improved approach in which the trajectory planningunit calculates an optimum turn based on its current position 950 in theturn relative to the exit point 951 of the turn phase. Here, a two pointboundary-value problem is solved by minimizing the “cost” of an arc 952that spans from the parafoil's current x,y,ψ position 950 (where y isthe parafoil's yaw angle=the angle at which the parafoil is headed orpointing along the x,y plane) to the x,y,ψ position 951 where the finalapproach is supposed to start. The “cost” of an arc is determined by Npoints 953 spaced along the arc in a certain manner and: i) determiningthe time spent by the parafoil traveling between the points, summingthese times to represent the total time spent traversing the arc, and,taking a difference between this total time and T_(turn); and, ii)determining the yaw rate (angular change of the pointing of the parafoilin the xy plane) beyond a maximum desired yaw rate from each pointneeded to steer the parafoil to its next point.

Here, i) above penalizes deviation of the parafoil's total turn timefrom T_(turn); and, ii) above penalizes an excessive yaw rate (“sharpturn”) needed to accomplish the turn. By formulating the cost as anoptimization problem to minimize the cost, the respective positions fora set of N points along an arc between the parafoil's current positionand the point where the final approach is to begin will be determinedthat correspond to an arc whose travel time is closest to T_(turn) andthat does not exhibit excessive yaw rate.

As such, as observed in FIG. 9 c, the trajectory planning unitdetermines the position at which the final approach phase is to begin951 (e.g., in terms of x,y,ψ), and determines its current position 952(e.g., again in terms of x,y,ψ). With these input parameters, thetrajectory planning unit then solves an optimization problem 954 todetermine (e.g., x,y) positions of a set of N points 953 that define anarc 902 between the parafoil's current position 952 and the position 951at which it is to end the turn phase. In one embodiment, the algorithmonly optimizes a few parameters pertaining to the initial and finalpoints of the turn. The optimal trajectory is determined analytically.This accelerates trajectory optimization so as to perform optimizationabout 100 times faster than in real time. This analytically definedinertial reference trajectory is passed to the control unit assuringthat the parafoil actually follows he determined arc in flight.

Notably, the trajectory planning unit is free to repeatedly calculate anew trajectory (and therefore a new set of N points) throughout the turnphase. For example, as observed in FIG. 10, upon entering the turnphase, the parafoil's trajectory planning unit calculates a firstarc/set of N points 1000 that is used to define a first trajectory forthe parafoil in the turn phase. Sometime later, for instance, because itis recognized that the parafoil's actual flight path 1002 hassubstantially deviated from the initial trajectory 1000, the trajectoryplanning unit recalculates a second arc/set of N points 1003 that areused to define a second trajectory for the parafoil in the turn phase.In various alternative embodiment, the parafoil automatically (e.g.,periodically) recalculates its trajectory in the turn phase (e.g.,without reference to its deviation from an earlier trajectory), or, onlycalculates a new trajectory if the parafoil's flight path breaches itsintended trajectory beyond some threshold. When calculating a newtrajectory in the midst of the turn phase some modification is made tothe optimization problem to address the fact that the parafoil is not atthe beginning of the turn phase (e.g., by comparing the total time in aproposed arc against T_(turn)−T_(spent) , where T_(spent) corresponds tothe time spent in the turn phase since the turn phase was initiated).

While optimizing the final turn trajectory, the parafoil's current x,y,ψposition 950 can be determined from the control unit's sensors (e.g.,GPS or INS). The (x,y,ψ) position 951 at which the parafoil is to exitthe turn phase and enter final approach is defined as:

FA=((V _(h) −W)T _(app), 0, −π)   Eqn. 9

The final turn maneuver is a pertinent part of the guidance algorithm.The parafoil may exit loitering earlier and it can be corrected bydelaying the start of the final turn. However, once the final turnmaneuver has started, varying the turn rate is the only way to makefinal corrections to intersect the top of the final approach slope.Varying the turn rate causes the parafoil to do either a steep orshallow turn, but precisely at the top of the final approach, i.e. atthe point defined by Eqn.9 in exactly T_(turn) after entering the turn.Only at this final phase can three-dimensional wind disturbances beaccounted for by constant reoptimization of the maneuver, i.e. byadjusting T_(turn) and producing a new yaw rate profile.

Mathematically, the optimization problem can be expressed as

$\begin{matrix}{J = {\left( {{\sum\limits_{j = 1}^{N - 1}{\Delta \; t_{j}}} - T_{turn}} \right)^{2} + {k^{\overset{.}{\psi}}\Delta}}} & {{{Eqn}.\mspace{14mu} 10}a} \\{\Delta = {\max\limits_{j}\left( {0;{{{\overset{.}{\psi}}_{j}} - {\overset{.}{\psi}}_{\max}}} \right)^{2}}} & {{{Eqn}.\mspace{14mu} 10}b}\end{matrix}$

where: 1) Δt_(j) is the time spent by the parafoil traveling from thejth point to the jth+1 point among the arc's N points; 2) k^(ψ) is ascaling factor; 3) ψ_(j) is the change in yaw rate at a jth point amongthe arc's N points; and, 4) ψ_(max) is a desired maximum change in yawrate. The analytical representation of a trajectory itself is given by

τ_(f) P′ _(n)( τ)=a ₁ ^(η)+2a ₂ ^(η) τ+3a ₃ ^(η) τ ² +πb ₁ ^(η) cos(πτ)+2πb ₂ ^(η) cos(2π τ) τ_(f) ² P″ _(η)( τ)=2a ₂ ^(η)+6a ₃ ^(η) τ−π² b ₁^(η) sin(π τ)−(2π)² b ₂ ^(η) sin(2π τ)   Eqn. 11

where τ=τ/τ_(f)ε[0;1] is a scaled abstract argument, a_(i) ^(η) andb_(i) ^(η) (η=1,2) are coefficients defined by the boundary conditionsup to the second-order derivative at τ=0 and τ=τ_(f) ( τ=1), and τ_(f)is a varied parameter. Derivations for Eqns. 10a, 10b, 11 Δt_(j), ψ_(j),and ψ_(max) can be found in Appendix C. Appendix D provides additionalinformation on the final arc optimization in the case where the windprofile is not constant including a major crosswind component of thewind.

2.4 Final Approach Phase

Upon the parafoil deciding that it has reached the end of the turn phase(e.g., by recognizing T_(turn) has lapsed since the beginning of theturn phase), the trajectory planning unit produces an output that causesthe parafoil to head in the −x direction and maintain that directionuntil the parafoil lands.

3.0 Improved Wind Models

The above discussion assumed computation of D_(switch) (Eqn.7), and thefinal approach point (Eqn.9) based on a constant wind in the x-directionfor the entirety of the parafoil's descent. The basic optimizationalgorithm presented in Appendix C was also based on this assumption,specifically, in one of two kinematic equations describing thehorizontal position of the parafoil

dx/dt=V _(h) cos(ψt)+W   Eqn. 12

A more general optimization algorithm presented in Appendix D, however,removes these assumptions and deals with an arbitrary wind profile basedon wind models discussed immediately below.

Three possible improvements resulting in better assumptions about thewind's behavior from the current altitude all the way down to the groundcan be made. A first improvement is based on the assumption that we havemultiple parafoils deployed one after another to the same area. Then, awind profile can be measured by the first system and transmitted to allfollowing systems. A second improvement can be made if we have a groundstation that constantly measures ground winds (in the x-direction) andtransmits them to all descending parafoils (or a single parafoil) usingan RF link or wireless network as described in Section 5. In this caserather than assuming a constant wind, we can model the wind as varyinglinearly with altitude as shown in FIG. 11 (improvement 1101). Finally,a third improvement 1102 can be used if no information about the groundwinds is available at all. In this case, rather than using a constantwind speed profile, we will model wind magnitude as varyinglogarithmically with altitude. In any case a new wind profile will beused: i) during the downwind leg to constantly update D_(switch), i.e.an altitude to start the final turn maneuver (Eqn.7); ii) determine thefinal approach point given by Eqn.8; iii) determine the turn timeT_(turn) of Eqn.5; and iv) determine the turn rate profile during thefinal turn to be at the final approach point at the prescribed time.

In the case of the first improvement a three-dimensionalaltitude-dependent wind profile can be available

W(h)={W _(x)(h),W _(y)(h),W _(z)(h))   Eqn. 13

Here h is the altitude above the ground while W_(x), W_(y) and W_(z) arethe x-, y- and z-components of the wind. Depending on how this profilewas measured it may lack some of the components, i.e. W_(z) component.Generally speaking, to compute D_(switch), final approach point andfinal turn rate profile only x component is needed. Therefore, the onlychange in Eqns. 7 and 8 will be to substitute the constant wind W withthe x-component of so-called ballistic wind W_(B), which basicallyrepresents the average of winds from a specific altitude all way down tothe ground, as explained in Appendix E.

the case of the second (linear) wind model improvement 1101, uponexiting the loitering phase the wind profile below the current altitudewill be estimated as

W(h)=W ₀+(m _(w))h   Eqn. 14

where W₀ is the ground wind as measured at/near the ground (h=0) in thevicinity of the target and m_(w) is the rate at which the wind magnitudevaries with altitude. In an embodiment, as observed in FIG. 12, theground wind term W₀ is provided 1205 to the parafoil (e.g., by beingmanually or electronically communicated to the parafoil before it isdropped, or, in mid flight after it is dropped such as during theloitering phase). The parafoil's control unit also measures (updates)the wind magnitude 1206 at any altitude W_(h) _(—) _(high) as describedabove. In order to determine the current altitude, the parafoil'scontrol unit receives a barometric pressure reading from the target 1201and receives a reading from its own on board barometric altimeter 1202.With these readings and an altitude reading from the on board GPS system1203, the control unit estimates its altitude 1204. During the downwindleg (if the ground station is available) the value of W₀ may beconstantly updated as well as an estimate of W_(h) _(—) _(high). Theparafoil's control unit then calculates 1207 m_(w)=(W_(h) _(—)_(high)−W₀)/(h_high) where h_high is the altitude at which the wind wasmeasured to be W_(h) _(—) _(high). Once again, the ballistic wind valueW_(B) (Appendix E) will be used in lieu of W in Eqns. 8 and 9. Otherthan these modifications, the flight path of the parafoil may becontrolled as described in Section 2.0.

In the case of the third (logarithmic) wind model improvement 1102,starting from the downwind leg the wind is modeled as

W(h)=(m _(w))ln(h/h ₀), when h≧h ₀(W(h)=0, when 0<h<h₀)   Eqn. 15

Here, m_(w) is a coefficient that is defined by the onboard control unitbased on the current wind measurements taken at several consequentaltitudes using standard regression analysis. Parameter h₀, a smallnumber below 1 meter, is called the “aerodynamic roughness length” anddefines the type of terrain around the landing zone and is set beforeflight. This model needs no prior knowledge of the ground winds. Thevalue of m_(w) is constantly updated during the downwind leg to come upwith more accurate estimates of D_(switch) and the final approach point.Again, the ballistic wind value W_(B) (Appendix E) is used in lieu of Win Eqns. 8 and 9. Other than these modifications, the flight path of theparafoil may be controlled as described in Section 2.0. Derivations ofthe coefficient m_(w) in Eqn. 15 along with analytical dependences forEqn.8 (which may be used even without computing the ballistic wind) isprovided in Appendix F.

4.0 Moving Target

The discussions above have been directed to an environment where thetarget is assumed to be a fixed location on the ground. Otherapplications are envisioned where it may be desirable to land theparafoil on a moving target such as a ship at sea. FIGS. 13 a and 13 bpertain to an embodiment where the target is moving in the −x direction(against the wind) and the parafoil is dropped upwind of the movingtarget at point DP. The target can therefore be stated in two ways whichare equated. The first way to define the target is by the difference inits position along the x axis from the moment the parafoil leaves theloitering phase to the moment the parafoil lands.

This value can be expressed as x_(T)−V_(T)((A_switch)/V_(v)) where V_(T)is the velocity of the target and A_switch)/V_(v) is the amount of timeexpended from the moment the loitering phase is ended to the moment theparafoil lands. Another way to define the target is simply from itsearlier definition L as the distance from the parafoil to the targetalong the x axis. Equating the two expressions, which essentially statesthat the upon the parafoil exiting the loitering phase the parafoil mustmove a net distance L along the x axis to land on a moving target thatwill be at position x_(T)−V_(T)((A_switch)/V_(v)) from its locationx_(T) when the loitering phase was exited yields:

$\begin{matrix}{L = {x_{T} - {\frac{V_{T}}{V_{V}}A_{switch}}}} & {{{Eqn}.\mspace{11mu} 16}\;}\end{matrix}$

The above Eqn for L can be substituted into Eqn. 6 above and solved forA_switch as

$\begin{matrix}{A_{switch} = {V_{v}\frac{x_{T} + {V_{h}\left( {T_{turn} + {2T_{app}^{des}}} \right)}}{W - V_{h} + V_{T}}}} & {{Eqn}.\mspace{14mu} 17}\end{matrix}$

which expresses the altitude that the parafoil can exit its loiteringphase at its location along the x axis within the loitering phase. Withthe new value of A_switch, the operation of the parafoil may becontrolled as described above in Section 2.0. Introduction of improvedwind models such as those discussed above with respect to Section 3.0will yield further changes to the A_switch calculation.

Another enhancement that may be necessary to accurately land a parafoilon a moving target is the specific location of the landing area on thetarget itself. For example, referring to FIG. 14 a, if the target is amoving ship 1400 and its reported position is presumed to be somelocation 1401 in the middle of the ship at sea level, somepre-processing may be necessary to more accurately define the actuallanding area on the ship. In the example of FIG. 14 a, the appropriatelanding area for the parafoil is a rear deck 1404 that is above sealevel at the ship's stern 1405. As such, the “true” landing area target1406 needs to be offset from the position of the ship 1401 as it isreported to the parafoil's guidance system. Moreover, different shipsmay have different landing areas as a function of the ship's design. Forexample, a first type of ship may have its appropriate landing on a readdeck as observed in FIG. 14 a whereas other ships may have itsappropriate landing area on a forward deck (toward the bow of the ship)or on a deck in the middle of the ship but more toward the port orstarboard sides.

A possible benefit of the guidance algorithm described in Section 2.0 isthat it establishes the reference trajectory in the inertial referenceframe. In the case of the moving target (ship, submarine, etc.) thistrajectory is tied to the moving target. Therefore, while planning thetrajectory it is possible to construct the trajectory so that theparafoil avoids, e.g., a superstructure on the ship's deck. No otherknown guidance algorithm has this feature.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14 b, the parafoil's control unitincludes a data store that models the different kinds of ships that theparafoil may be asked to land on, where, each ship's model effects thenecessary modification to the actual target based on the type of shipand also affects the calculations accordingly. In operation, a ship'sposition, velocity and type are entered or communicated to the parafoil(e.g., before or after it is dropped). The parafoil's trajectoryplanning unit not only uses the ship's position and velocity tocalculate the target but also modifies the equations appropriately inview of the ships’ type to more accurately define the target in a mannerthat is customized to the particular ship.

In the case of FIG. 14 a, for example, the fact that the rear deck israised means that the parafoil will have to exit the loitering phasesooner to keep the guidance calculations consistent. As such, Eqn. 17would be modified by the trajectory planning unit to be A_switch=[ . . .]+z_(ship) _(—) _(x) where z_(ship) _(—) _(x) corresponds to thevertical offset between the precise location where the ship's recognizedposition x_(T) at loiter exit is and the height of the rear deckrelative to that position. Similarly, Eqn. 16 would be modified by thetrajectory planning unit as L=(x_(T)−x_(ship))−V_(T)((A_switch)/V_(v))to adjust for the fact that the rear deck is behind the ship'srecognized position. Lateral changes along the y axis could eitheraffect the loitering position of the parafoil or the radius of the turnR.

The guidance algorithm features the optimized final turn which allowsadjusting the actual landing time. In this case the heave motion of theship can also be taken into account. This motion can be estimated by theparafoil's control unit based on the altitude above the sea data at theintended touchdown point. Such data can be uplinked to the parafoilusing the ground weather station or a GPS unit using networkconnectivity as described in Section 5.

5.0 Applications of Wireless Network Connectivity to Parafoil ControlUnit

Recall from the discussion of FIG. 3 a that the control unit may includevarious wireless interface circuitry, such as first wireless networkinterface circuitry 317 that is capable of communicating (includingtransmission and/or reception) over a local carrier's network and/orsecond wireless network interface circuitry 320 that is capable ofcommunicating over a proprietary network. In various embodiments, thewireless interface circuitry 317, 320 is used to communicate pertinentinformation to the parafoil's control unit after the parafoil has beendropped from the airborne vehicle. Examples include, for instance,uploading the ground wind magnitude or the entire winds profile versusaltitude along with the ground barometric pressure (to build a windmodel as described in Section 3.0), uploading constantly changing targetposition (such as in the case of a moving ship), including its verticalelevation (to account for a ship's heave motion as described in Section4.0), a change in a new stationary target location or the new desiredlanding direction, not necessarily aligned with the ground winds.

FIG. 15 shows an exemplary information systems (IS) infrastructure fortransferring such information to the parafoil. As observed in FIG. 15 anairborne parafoil 1501 is within range of a local carrier's wirelessnetwork 1502 such as a tactical cellular GSM network. The localcarrier's wireless network 1502 includes a gateway to a wide areanetwork (WAN) 1503 such as the Internet. A voice recognition server 1504and a situational awareness (SA) server 1505 are each coupled to the WAN1503 (notably the recognition server 1504 and situational awarenessserver 1505 may be integrated into a single endpoint).

According to one embodiment, a command to be given to the airborneparafoil 1501 is verbally spoken, for instance, by an individual on theground in the vicinity of the parafoil's target 1506 into a handheldand/or portable device 1507 such as a cell phone or smartphone. Theverbal command may be any of (but not necessarily limited to) a commandto change the target and/or a command to update the ground windinformation (e.g., a command to enter a ground wind profile, a commandto enter a change in ground wind magnitude and/or ground wind direction,or, a command to change the target to a new location). The verbalcommand is communicated via a network connection 1508 between the device1507 and the voice recognition server 1504.

The voice recognition server 1504 (e.g., by way of voice recognitionsoftware and/or hardware) processes the verbal command and converts theverbal command information into a digital format that is understandableto a computing system. For example if the verbal command was to updatethe ground wind speed and/or direction, the voice recognition servermight create an XML based message or other body of information 1508 insome kind of syntax that is understandable to a computing system. Theinformation 1508 is then sent by way of a network connection 1509 fromthe voice recognition server 1504 to the situational awareness server1505. The situational awareness server 1505 then translates thedigitally formatted command 1508 into a packet 1510 that is sent 1550 tothe airborne parafoil 1501 over the local carrier's wireless network1502.

In an alternate embodiment, rather than a verbal command being spokeninto the device 1507, the command is instead entered by way of akeyboard or other user interface of the portable device 1507 and sent1511 by way of a packet to the situational awareness server 1505 or theparafoil directly 1512. In the former case 1511 where the packet is sentto the situation awareness server first, the situational server sends apacket 1510 having the entered command to the airborne parafoil. In anembodiment, the portable device 1507 may be specialized equipment. Forexample, the portable device 1507 may be a portable weather station orwind measurement equipment (such as the kind made by Kestrel, Inc. ofSylvan Lake, Mich.) having its own wireless network interface (and/orintegrated cell phone and/or smartphone circuitry). In this case, withthe same portable device 1507, wind information can be measured,packetized and sent 1511 to either the situational awareness server 1505(for subsequent delivery to the airborne parafoil 1501) or to theairborne parfoil directly 1512.

In even further alternate embodiments, a verbal or entered command ismade from a command center or other computing system 1551 that is remotefrom the parafoil's drop zone. For instance, a command 1514 to changethe parafoil's target may be made, while the parafoil is in flight, froma computing system 1515 that is coupled to the WAN 1503 many miles awayfrom the parafoil's drop zone. The WAN may be commercial, proprietary,public or some combination thereof and may even have global reachcapability. The command may be sent to the parafoil directly 1514, or,to a situational awareness server beforehand.

The parafoil may further be configured to transmit into the wirelessnetwork 1502 any/all of its measurement information, such as the wind'smagnitude at higher altitudes, its ground speed measurements and/or itspositional measurements for analysis and/or observation at someendpoint. For instance, according to one embodiment, a plurality ofparafoil's are dropped simultaneously over a common area, and, as theparafoils descend (e.g., in a loitering phase), they transmit theirlocations (and/or ABCD loitering parameters) to a remote command center1515 that tracks all of the parafoils in flight in real time. Anindividual or application software then decides, while the parafoils aredescending, what their respective targets are. Respective packets arethen sent to each of the airborne parafoils informing them of theirspecific target.

In another application of a parafoil's ability to transmit measuredinformation into a wireless network, according to one approach a firstparafoil is dropped prior to one or more subsequent parafoils. Thepurpose of the first parafoil is to make wind measurements during itsdescent and send the measurement results (and/or a wind profile) “up” tothe second set of one or more subsequently dropped parafoils. Here, theparafoil can transmit the wind information in the form of one or morepackets into the local carrier's network 1502 which redirects (ormulticasts or broadcasts) the packet(s) back to each subsequentparafoil. Alternatively, a private wireless link or network can beestablished between the descending parafoils and the wind informationtransmitted up to them through the proprietary wireless link.

To further that point although much of the previous examples discussedthe transmission of wireless information to/from an airborne parafoilthrough a local carrier's wireless network, the same core schemes may beimplemented with a proprietary wireless network or link. For example,the portable device 1507 in the vicinity of the target may transmitground wind information up to a descending parafoil through aproprietary wireless link that is established between the device 1507and the descending parafoil. Likewise, any packets that are sent to anairborne parafoil may traverse only a proprietary network without anypublic traffic (up to an including the wireless network) or somecombination of proprietary and public traffic networks may be utilized.

For any of the embodiments discussed above, note that a parafoil maywirelessly transmit its location, altitude and/or high altitude windinformation into the network and ultimately to a computing system whichexecutes the trajectory planning unit algorithms (e.g., with otheraccumulated information such as ground winds, velocity of moving target,etc.). The computing system then sends an updated trajectory planthrough the network and wirelessly to the descending parafoil whichimplements the newly received trajectory plan.

FIG. 16 shows another approach in which a group of parafoils 1601 aresimultaneously descending to establish a temporary wireless network1602, for example, between the access point 1603 of an establishednetwork 1604 and another remote location 1605 which has no connection tothe established network 1604. For example, if a group of workers orsoldiers are at a remote location 1605 (e.g., separated by a mountainrange) and a need arises to communicate to them over the establishednetwork 1604, the parafoils 1601 are dropped so as to descend (e.g., ina permanent loitering phase) along an imaginary line 1606 that connectsthe access point 1603 to the remote location 1605.

Apart from wireless network interface circuitry, each of the parafoils1601 further includes wireless network routing and/or switchingsoftware/hardware to route packets. As such, an airborne wirelessnetwork is created with each of the parafoils acting as a node of thenetwork. A packet sent from the access point 1603 to the remote location1605 is relayed by way of nodal hops from parafoil to parafoil until itreaches the remote location 1605. Likewise, a packet sent from theremote location 1605 is relayed by way of nodal hops from parafoil toparafoil in the reverse direction until it reaches the access point1603. The parafoils 1601 may include nearest neighbor or other awarenesstechnology that permit them to periodically update configure (e.g., byway of periodic updates) their routing tables mid flight (e.g., forminga so-called mesh network), or, the nodal configuration and routingtables may be predetermined ahead of time. The drop pattern and/orguidance systems may be used to orient each of the parafoils in itsproper nodal position.

Whether the individuals at the remote location 1605 are aware of theestablishment of the temporary network in their direction may depend onthe circumstances. For instance, if a verbal communication needs to takeplace between individuals at some command center 1607 coupled to theestablished network 1604 and the individuals at the remote location1605, the parafoils 1601 may be equipped with transmission circuitrythat transmits a signal to equipment held by the personnel at the remotelocation 1605 that triggers some kind of alarm that an imminent verbalcommunication is being arranged. By contrast, if only an electronicmessage is to be delivered to the remote personnel, such as an email, noalarm need be triggered ahead of time.

The above discussion spoke of the network established by the parafoilsas being temporary in the sense that the network is torn down orotherwise made unworkable prior to or approximately at the time of thelanding of the parafoils. A temporary network is useful where, forinstance, the safety or security of the remote team 1605 is comprised bythe presence of the network. For example, continued transmissions by theparafoil/nodes might lead to the unwanted discovery of the network andthe remote individuals. Other circumstances may arise where a permanentnetwork is desired. In this case, the parafoil/nodes can continue tooperate to implement a wireless network long after the parafoils havelanded.

Lastly, that FIG. 16 is simplistic in that only a single line 1606 isdrawn to connect to a single access node 1603 to a single emote location1605. In actuality the “line” may take any shape suitable to connect anaccess point to a remote location (e.g., curved, triangular, etc.).Moreover, the parafoil implemented network may reach more than oneaccess point and/or more than one remote location by arranging multiplelines/branches as appropriate. Conceivably, a cental core of parafoilsmay form a short-term network backbone and branches of parafoilsextended along lines stemming from the backbone/core may reach out tovarious established network access points and/or remote locations.

FIG. 17 shows an embodiment of a computing system (e.g., a computer).The exemplary computing system of FIG. 17 includes: 1) one or moreprocessing cores 1701 that may be designed to include two and threeregister scalar integer and vector instruction execution; 2) a memorycontrol hub (MCH) 1702; 3) a system memory 1703 (of which differenttypes exist such as DDR RAM, EDO RAM, etc,); 4) a cache 1704; 5) an I/Ocontrol hub (ICH) 1705; 6) a graphics processor 1706; 7) adisplay/screen 1707 (of which different types exist such as Cathode RayTube (CRT), flat panel, Thin Film Transistor (TFT), Liquid CrystalDisplay (LCD), DPL, etc.) one or more I/O devices 1708.

The one or more processing cores 1701 execute instructions in order toperform whatever software routines the computing system implements. Theinstructions frequently involve some sort of operation performed upondata. Both data and instructions are stored in system memory 1703 andcache 1704. Cache 1704 is typically designed to have shorter latencytimes than system memory 1703. For example, cache 1704 might beintegrated onto the same silicon chip(s) as the processor(s) and/orconstructed with faster SRAM cells whilst system memory 1703 might beconstructed with slower DRAM cells. By tending to store more frequentlyused instructions and data in the cache 1704 as opposed to the systemmemory 1703, the overall performance efficiency of the computing systemimproves.

System memory 1703 is deliberately made available to other componentswithin the computing system. For example, the data received from variousinterfaces to the computing system (e.g., keyboard and mouse, printerport, LAN port, modem port, etc.) or retrieved from an internal storageelement of the computing system (e.g., hard disk drive) are oftentemporarily queued into system memory 1703 prior to their being operatedupon by the one or more processor(s) 1701 in the implementation of asoftware program. Similarly, data that a software program determinesshould be sent from the computing system to an outside entity throughone of the computing system interfaces, or stored into an internalstorage element, is often temporarily queued in system memory 1703 priorto its being transmitted or stored.

The ICH 1705 is responsible for ensuring that such data is properlypassed between the system memory 1703 and its appropriate correspondingcomputing system interface (and internal storage device if the computingsystem is so designed). The MCH 1702 is responsible for managing thevarious contending requests for system memory 1703 access amongst theprocessor(s) 1701, interfaces and internal storage elements that mayproximately arise in time with respect to one another.

One or more I/O devices 1708 are also implemented in a typical computingsystem. I/O devices generally are responsible for transferring data toand/or from the computing system (e.g., a networking adapter); or, forlarge scale non-volatile storage within the computing system (e.g., harddisk drive or semiconductor non volatile storage device that is the mainstore for the system's program code when the system is powered off). ICH1705 has bi-directional point-to-point links between itself and theobserved I/O devices 1708.

Processes taught by the discussion above may be performed with programcode such as machine-executable instructions that cause a machine thatexecutes these instructions to perform certain functions. In thiscontext, a “machine” may be a machine that converts intermediate form(or “abstract”) instructions into processor specific instructions (e.g.,an abstract execution environment such as a “virtual machine” (e.g., aJava Virtual Machine), an interpreter, a Common Language Runtime, ahigh-level language virtual machine, etc.)), and/or, electroniccircuitry disposed on a semiconductor chip (e.g., “logic circuitry”implemented with transistors) designed to execute instructions such as ageneral-purpose processor and/or a special-purpose processor. Processestaught by the discussion above may also be performed by (in thealternative to a machine or in combination with a machine) electroniccircuitry designed to perform the processes (or a portion thereof)without the execution of program code.

It is believed that processes taught by the discussion above may also bedescribed in source level program code in various object-orientated ornon-object-orientated computer programming languages (e.g., Java, C#,VB, Python, C, C++, J#, APL, Cobol, Fortran, Pascal, Perl, etc.)supported by various software development frameworks (e.g., MicrosoftCorporation's .NET, Mono, Java, Oracle Corporation's Fusion, etc.). Thesource level program code may be converted into an intermediate form ofprogram code (such as Java byte code, Microsoft Intermediate Language,etc.) that is understandable to an abstract execution environment (e.g.,a Java Virtual Machine, a Common Language Runtime, a high-level languagevirtual machine, an interpreter, etc.) or may be compiled directly intoobject code.

According to various approaches the abstract execution environment mayconvert the intermediate form program code into processor specific codeby, 1) compiling the intermediate form program code (e.g., at run-time(e.g., a JIT compiler)), 2) interpreting the intermediate form programcode, or 3) a combination of compiling the intermediate form programcode at run-time and interpreting the intermediate form program code.Abstract execution environments may run on various operating systems(such as UNIX, LINUX, Microsoft operating systems including the Windowsfamily, Apple Computers operating systems including MacOS X,Sun/Solaris, OS/2, Novell, etc.).\

An article of manufacture may be used to store program code. An articleof manufacture that stores program code may be embodied as, but is notlimited to, one or more memories (e.g., one or more flash memories,random access memories (static, dynamic or other)), optical disks,CD-ROMs, DVD ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards or othertype of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronicinstructions. Program code may also be downloaded from a remote computer(e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by way ofdata signals embodied in a propagation medium (e.g., via a communicationlink (e.g., a network connection)).

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described withreference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made theretowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

1. A method, comprising: performing a), b) and c) below with an electronic control unit of a parafoil: a) after being dropped from an airborne vehicle, wirelessly receiving said parafoil's desired landing location; b) determining a flight path for said parafoil that lands at said desired landing location; and, c) controlling said parafoil's flight path consistently with said determined flight path.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said parafoil's desired landing location is sent by electronic equipment proximate to said desired landing location.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said parafoil's desired landing location is transmitted into a local wireless carrier's wireless network by said electronic equipment, and, said parafoil's desired landing location is received at said electronic control unit from said wireless carrier's wireless network.
 4. The method of claim 2 wherein said wireless carrier's wireless network is a GSM network.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said parafoil's desired landing location is transmitted into a wireless link established between said electronic equipment and said electronic control unit.
 6. The method of claim 2 further comprising entering said desired landing location into said electronic equipment.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein said desired landing location is entered into said electronic equipment verbally by way of a verbal command.
 8. The method of claim 7 further comprising sending said verbal command over a network to a voice recognition engine, converting said verbal command into an electronic format and sending said desired landing location over said network as a command to said electronic control unit.
 9. An apparatus, comprising: an electronic control unit for a parafoil comprising: a) wireless receiver circuitry to wirelessly receive a packet containing a desired landing destination for said parafoil; b) a storage medium and a processing core, said storage medium containing program code that when processed by said processing core causes said control unit to perform the following method: determining a flight path for said parafoil that lands at said desired landing location; and, controlling said parafoil's flight path consistently with said determined flight path.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said wireless receiver circuitry is compatible with a local carrier's wireless network.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said wireless network is a GSM network.
 12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said wireless receiver circuitry is to establish a wireless link with electronic equipment proximate to said desired landing destination that sends said desired landing destination to said wireless receiver circuitry.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said electronic control unit further comprises electronic motors coupled to said processing unit to adjust trailing edge lines of said parafoil.
 14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said electronic control unit further comprises a plurality of sensors coupled to said processing unit, said sensors to measure said parafoil's position and orientation.
 15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said electronic control unit further comprises electronic transmission circuitry to wirelessly transmit a packet containing said parafoil's position.
 16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said wireless receiver circuitry is to further receive at least one of direction, ground wind magnitude and a wind versus altitude profile.
 17. A method, comprising: receiving packets from a plurality of simultaneously descending parafoils that indicate the respective positions of said parafoils in the midst of their respective descent, said packets being wirelessly transmitted from said parafoils; determining different desired landing locations for each one of said parafoils; sending to each one of said parafoils a packet containing its respective desired landing location of said desired landing locations, each respective desired landing location to be wirelessly received by its respective descending parafoil.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein said method is performed on a computing system coupled to a network through which said packets are carried.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein said packets are wirelessly transmitted into a local carrier's wireless network.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein said local carrier's wireless network is a GSM network. 